The disclosures herein relate in general to audio processing, and in particular to a method, system and computer program product for estimating a level of noise.
In audio processing systems, a level of a signal's noise may be estimated for various purposes, such as noise suppression, voice activity detection, noise adaptive volume control, and echo suppression. For estimating the level of the signal's noise, a time constant may be applied. If the time constant is too slow, then such estimate is less accurate if it slowly adapts to a sudden change in the signal from a relatively quiet environment (e.g., enclosed office) to a relatively noisy environment (e.g., urban street). Conversely, if the time constant is not slow enough, then such estimate is less accurate if it mistakenly increases in response to a sudden rise in the signal.